Subject: The latest on the Latino and
Immigrant Fairness Act (LIFA). Your advocacy is needed!
LIFA has taken center stage in Congress as this session draws to a close. It’s not too late to contact members of Congress and the White House encouraging their support for the provisions included in LIFA! We urge you to continue your efforts with Congress and the White House to restore Section 245(i), update the registry date, and grant NACARA parity. Call the Congressional switchboard at (202) 224-3121 to speak with your Senators and Representative, and call the White House at (202) 456-1414 to commend the Administration for their continued support for LIFA.
The Republican leadership has indicated
opposition to these needed measures, despite the strong support
for LIFA from such key Republicans as Senator John McCain (R-AZ)
and Jack Kemp, the 1996 Republican Vice-Presidential candidate.
Senator Orin Hatch (R-UT) has indicated
that he, along with other Republicans, support a new measure they
have drafted, the Legal Immigration Families Equity Act (LIFE
Act). The LIFE Act would allow the INS to accept and
adjudicate the applications of people who were part of the
successful lawsuits against the INS for improperly denying
applications under the 1986 amnesty act that President Reagan
signed. Also under the Hatch proposal, visitor visas and
work authorization would be granted to Family 2A applicants (the
spouses and children of lawful permanent residents) who have been
waiting more than three years for their visa to be available.
The LIFE Act lacks provisions to address the lack of equity
experienced as a result of NACARA, does not restore Section
245(i) for those people outside of the Family 2A category who are
unable to become permanent residents because of the expiration of
245(i), and offers nothing for people who would benefit from
updating the registry date to 1986.
Senator Hatch’s proposals are not substitutes for the
restoration of 245(i), NACARA parity, and updating the registry
date. Allowing those people who already have successfully
sued INS to receive the remedies to which they are entitled does
nothing to protect those people who were not part of the lawsuit
but were harmed by the INS mishandling of their case in the same
manner. In addition, this proposal ignores the fact that
the “Class of ’82” already has been in legal limbo
for the last 15 years and unable to apply for their family
members. Updating the registry date to 1986 would allow
most of those family members to apply for permanent residency
themselves. Finally, the Hatch proposal’s silence on
NACARA parity and the restoration of Section 245(i) dramatically
signal other aspects that need to be addressed: roadblocks
to people becoming legal need to be eliminated and people from
similar circumstances fleeing civil war and strife, need to be
treated equally.
As Congress draws to a close, it is vitally important that you
contact your Senators, Representatives, and the White House to
urge them to support LIFA.
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